Though many fans would prefer an extra season of eligibility for the former Irish enforcer, the Notre Dame family received good news nonetheless with today's announcement that Harold Swanagan, Irish forward from 1998-2002, has been named Coordinator of Men's Basketball Operations.
The position was previously held by Swanagan's former teammate, Martin Ingelsby, who was promoted to assistant coach earlier this month.
The following is an excerpt of a release from the Notre Dame Athletics Office:
"I am thrilled to have Harold join our basketball staff in the operations position," Mike Brey said. "I think he will be such a great influence on our players given that he is a Notre Dame man, played in the BIG EAST and played for me.
"He already has developed deep relationships with our current players from his former position in the Student Welfare and Development Office. He was a great captain and leader for us as a player and always was a guy who put the team first. I am thrilled to have Swanny back with us."
A four-year monogram winner, Swanagan, who served as a tri-captain for the Irish during his senior season in 2001-02, played professionally in Europe for two seasons. His first stint was with ENAD in Nicosia, Cyprus, during the 2002-03 season, followed by a year with Autun in Autun, France, in 2003-04.
Swanagan returned to Notre Dame in May 2004 and served as an intern with the strength and conditioning program during the 2004-05 school year before being named to his current position the spring of ’05.
While playing forward for the Irish, the Hopkinsville, Ky., native appeared in 127 contests (fifth all-time) and made 78 starts while averaging 6.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Swanagan also helped Notre Dame to a 78-52 overall record and 37-29 mark in BIG EAST play during his four seasons. In his senior season (’01-’02), he served as a tri-captain and averaged career bests of 8.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while helping lead the Irish to a 22-11 record (10-6 in BIG EAST play) and their second consecutive trip to the second round of the NCAA tournament. That year, he also was named to the BIG EAST Academic All-Star Team.
During Brey’s first season with the Fighting Irish in 2000-01, Swanagan was a member of a Notre Dame team that won the school's first-ever BIG EAST regular-season title, as the Irish captured the conference's West Division crown with an 11-5 record en route to a final 20-10 mark. Swanagan and the Irish made their first NCAA appearance in more than a decade and advanced to the second round.
As a sophomore in 1999-2000, Swanagan helped Notre Dame to a 22-15 record and a berth in the championship game of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).